Who: Jeb Stuart, sommelier at Coltivare, 3320 White Oak. Stuart came to Houston from New York, where he cut his teeth in the hospitality industry as a classically trained sous chef in Manhattan, working at spots as diverse as the Plaza Hotel's Edwardian Room and Rusty Staub's restaurant on Fifth Avenue. Staub, a former Houston Astro (1963-68), has long been an oenophile of the first order, and his award-winning list piqued Stuart's interest in wine. When, after moving to Houston, he took over as executive chef at Claire Smith's Daily Review Cafe, he also had full reign over the wine program. More recently, he served as the boss wine guy at Plonk Wine Bar before taking charge of Coltivare's cellar. There, his carefully culled 60-bottle list is global in scope with an emphasis on Italian varietals and good value.

Why: Stuart says the wines of Paolo Bea "represent the gestalt of Coltivare - the quality of what is in the bottle comes wholly from what is produced in the vineyard." The grapes sangiovese (60 percent) sagrantino (30 percent) and Montepulciano Di Abbruzzo are bio-dynamically grown, harvested by hand and handled with the utmost care. The wine is made in a noninterventionalist style. The gentle pressing and aging, plus no filtering or fining, produces a wine of an uncompromising sense of place. A beautiful earthy and mineral-driven nose leads to soft wild strawberry-black-cherry flavors on the palate and an exquisite velvety texture. The well-integrated oak balances perfectly with the bright acidity, and the bottle aging produces a delightful wine that is ready to drink upon release.

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